Philanthropy fuels our progress to transform healthcare

On the evening of Thursday, May 23, 187 guests braved the late spring elements for the Loyal Benefactor Celebration, held on the Boettcher Commons Lawn. Despite gusting winds, spirits were high as the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus community of benefactors was honored and thanked for their dedication and support. All benefactors with a consistent pattern of philanthropic giving were recognized, including faculty and staff benefactors. 

Live music set the scene for the cocktail reception that opened the evening’s program, with special guests Brendan Bondurant and Stacey Riley on guitar and vocals, respectively. Vice Chancellor of Advancement Scott Arthur then warmly welcomed all in attendance before inviting Chancellor Elliman to the podium to share a campus update and offer remarks on the importance of philanthropic partnerships. 

“It is with your support that we are delivering the finest care today, driving the science behind it to new heights and training leaders who will shape the future of health and medicine,” he said. “We simply could not deliver on our ambitious vision without you.” 

Chancellor Elliman then detailed how campus experts have risen to the challenge of harnessing the technological advances of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to better understand illness and disease, improve personalized care and save even more lives than before. 

“We have gone big in terms of expanding our talented team, investing in the resources needed to push their work forward,” he said. “We are utilizing the Center for Health Artificial Intelligence, which was launched in December 2020, to connect researchers in the AI space and enhance our ability to translate data into tangible advances in research, care delivery and population health.” 

The efforts of the Department of Bioinformatics and The Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine, a collaboration with UCHealth, were also highlighted. 

“The Department of Bioinformatics, which was established in 2022, is at the intersection of research and patient care,” said Chancellor Elliman. “It is an innovative hub for collaboration between faculty in basic science and medicine and clinical and translational scientists who are using big data to improve patient outcomes and address health disparities.  

The Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine’s biobank is a tremendous resource for advancing genomic medicine, as they seek to further transform patient lives by advancing health through integrating genetics with patient health records. Over 235,000 individuals are enrolled, and more than 50,000 patients have thus far received genetic results informing highly tailored, highly personalized care.” 

At the close of the evening, Chancellor Elliman thanked guests once more for their invaluable partnership. 

“We are grateful to each of you here tonight for all you do to make this institution what it is today, and what it will be tomorrow. You are changing lives every day.”